The Media Line: Foreign Press, Media Rights Groups Ask Israeli Supreme Court To Speed Gaza Access Ruling

Foreign Press, Media Rights Groups Ask Israeli Supreme Court To Speed Gaza Access Ruling

By The Media Line Staff

The Foreign Press Association (FPA), joined by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters Without Borders (RSF), and the Union of Journalists in Israel (UJI), said on Tuesday that it had asked Israel’s Supreme Court to urgently speed up a decision on allowing foreign journalists into Gaza, arguing that the continued ban on independent international coverage is no longer justified. The groups said the emergency motion was filed on April 13 after the court agreed to the Israeli government’s latest request to delay the case until May 24.

In a joint statement dated April 15, the organizations said Gaza has been closed to foreign press operating independently since October 7, 2023, describing the 2.5-year restriction as unprecedented and warning that it could set a dangerous example for other conflict zones. They said the government has sought repeated delays since the FPA filed its current petition on September 10, 2024. After the US-brokered ceasefire in October, the court gave the state 30 days to present its position on letting reporters enter Gaza, but the state responded with additional requests for more time, according to the statement.

The groups said a hearing was eventually held in January, but argued that the case has since stalled further after the government was allowed to submit classified material that was not shared with the FPA. They also rejected the reasons given for continued delays, saying there are no longer hostages in Gaza, that a longstanding ceasefire is in place, and that there are no substantiated or specific threats against journalists. The statement added that the government’s most recent justification, the war in Iran, “never was relevant.”

The joint statement said Palestinian journalists have continued reporting from inside Gaza under severe conditions throughout the war, facing hunger, displacement, arbitrary detention, loss of family members, and Israeli military attacks. CPJ and RSF said that more than 220 Palestinian journalists have been killed during the war, including at least 70 who they said were targeted by the Israeli army because of their work. The groups also said two Palestinian journalists from Gaza have been missing since October 7, 2023.

Tania Kraemer, chairperson of the FPA, said, “This indefinite ban must end. The never-ending delays have made a mockery of the legal process. It is time for the justices to put an end to this once and for all. Let us into Gaza independently and immediately and work there alongside our Palestinian colleagues.” Jodie Ginsberg, chief executive of CPJ, said Israel had prohibited independent media access to Gaza for more than 900 days and accused the court of failing to uphold press freedom. RSF Director General Thibaut Bruttin and Anat Saragusti, head of press freedom at the UJI, also called for a ruling that would allow foreign reporters to enter Gaza and report independently.

The four organizations said Palestinian journalists should not be left to carry the burden of covering Gaza alone and argued that, six months into a ceasefire, foreign reporters should no longer be shut out.

Brought to you by www.srnnews.com